A 28-year-old Durango man wanted on suspicion of drug possession, eluding police, vehicle theft and burglary was arrested Wednesday after attempting to flee law enforcement again.
About 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, a La Plata County Sheriff’s deputy was traveling within the 600 and 1100 blocks of south on Camino del Rio, just west of the downtown area, where he spotted a driver matching the description of a local fugitive who had been evading law enforcement. The man was later identified as Calob Dean Harris.
Harris had four warrants out for his arrest, including felony vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, drug possession and a misdemeanor for burglary tools.
At the time of the sighting Wednesday, he was allegedly driving an older Isuzu Rodeo that had been spray painted black.
The deputy pursued Harris northbound on Main Avenue as the suspect began weaving through traffic. After briefly losing sight of the Isuzu, the deputy alerted other law enforcement units to watch out for the vehicle. He soon spotted it again, heading north on East Second Avenue, behind north City Market.
The deputy said he recognized Harris by the sweatshirt he was wearing, which he had worn during a previous vehicle pursuit on Sept. 10. Harris was accompanied by another male, also wearing a hoodie. Both had their hoods up when the vehicle stopped at the intersection of East 33rd Street and East Second Avenue.
Because of Harris' history of fleeing from law enforcement, the deputy decided to block him in, attempting to cut off the Isuzu as it began turning west onto East 33rd Street, according to an arrest affidavit.
Harris realized the deputy was trying to block him in and quickly accelerated, prompting the deputy to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision. Initially, the deputy thought the two vehicles had made contact, but later discovered the Isuzu had narrowly missed his patrol car.
The Isuzu sped south on Main Avenue, with the deputy in pursuit as he alerted other law enforcement to Harris' location.
A Durango Police Department detective called out over the radio that the Isuzu was again weaving through traffic on Main Avenue.
After law enforcement had lost contact with Harris, it was an all-hands-on-deck effort by Durango police, the Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol and Southern Ute Police Department to look for the fugitive.
Law enforcement eventually located the suspect’s vehicle about 4:25 p.m. at the Aspen Village Apartments, 2970 Main Ave.
“He ended up barricading himself in a laundry room, and DPD officers and deputies were both on scene,” said Sgt. Chris Burke, a spokesman with the Sheriff’s Office. “They moved in with a canine team, they entered the door code and gave verbal commands. At that point, Calob surrendered.”
Burke said deputies and officers discovered small amounts of an unspecified narcotic on Harris at the time of his arrest. While his behavior suggested he was under the influence of a substance, law enforcement could not determine what it was.
Harris was arrested on his existing warrants plus an additional charge of felony vehicular eluding.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
